Proctor artist Scott Murphy’s Duluth Public Library mural

bike2alaska Jun 06, 2011 15 Comments

The artist who created the Duluth Art Institute rotunda mural in 2010 is at it again!

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15 Comments

Carrster

about 14 years ago 

It looks great! I saw it in progress the other day & think it's a really nice addition to that library space. Nicely done!

Jen

about 14 years ago 

Let the graffiti begin...

Tom

about 14 years ago 

I saw it nearly complete when I was there about a week ago.  It looks great and it's a wonderful addition to spruce up the library.  Now, if only we could find a way to make the rest of the exterior of the building less ugly...

Claire

about 14 years ago 

Wow, looks GREAT and agree with Tom...

todobrillante

about 14 years ago 

It was awesome to watch the project progress over the last few weeks. What a cool addition to the library to clearly show (some of) what goes on inside to people driving/walking/unicycling by. Where did the funding come from?

todobrillante

about 14 years ago 

Quick follow up...and how were the books chosen? That would be a tough but fun task to narrow down the possible inclusions.

moosetracks

about 14 years ago 

The mural looks awesome, I really appreciate the choice of combining local/regional authors with bigger names.  A lovely addition to an awkward building.

wildgoose

about 14 years ago 

I'd like to see them open up that whole rotunda area by removing the concrete structure on the East/North side of the building.  Open up the sight lines between 5th ave W to the rotunda area and most importantly, to the much more beautiful architectural and community landmark, the Depot.  Heck, maybe they could even green it up a bit with some grass for frisbee, lolling in the sun with a book ...  This would be expensive, but not as expensive as tearing down the whole library building and starting over.  

I saw the guy working on the mural a few weeks ago.  I look forward to seeing it in person.

doubledutch

about 14 years ago 

Really?  People hate the library?  I've always thought it was like an awesome space ship - probably because my first impression of the library was made in early childhood, but still.  It makes me happy.

The mural is pretty cool, too.

Barrett Chase

about 14 years ago 

A good time to check this out in person would be next week during the annual book sale.

bikefiend

about 14 years ago 

Scott Murphy is an AWESOME local artist!  Duluth is lucky to have him taking bleh white spaces and bringing something incredible into them, way to go.

Claire

about 14 years ago 

Wow, this is a gorgeous mural, I just walked by it earlier today. I think I am going to take a pic and send it to colleagues at Library Journal, maybe they'll run it in the magazine and Scott will be famous among librarians!

Dave Lull

about 14 years ago 

"Mayor Don Ness, state elected officials, City Council members, and other community leaders will officially dedicate the mural of book spines painted on the pillar of the downtown library by local artist Scott Murphy." 

The event will take place Friday, June 10, at 1 PM.

Media Advisory

Nancy Eaton

about 14 years ago 

The funding for the Books on the Plaza mural came from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. 

Criteria for the books chosen included showing the range of the library's collections, decorative spines and books with local interest and significance. Members of the public, library staff and the artist all offered suggestions and opinions about the books to be included. We had many more books that we wanted to feature and didn't even finalize the titles until the last four books were being painted.

ruby2sd4y

about 14 years ago 

I've watched this unfurl for weeks during my walks - taking pics ages ago when it first started, starting way back in Apri,l when the site was being prepped.
 
Overall, it's ok. Some of the titles seemed meh (yes, granted they are classics and all), however, it was nice to see Bea's book - more focus should have been on local writer's books - IMHO - really giving it that hometown touch, and showcasing more of our own.

Something like this should have been done long ago. 
So much artspace is wasted/not fully utilised in this town.

In regards to Nancy's comment - why not paint that whole lower area, as well as the extremely bland back of the library with more of the titles you wish you had space for? 

Heck, books could be painted around the whole building; in full size, or as displayed on shelves, racks, a faux library card, and more, or to mirror the inside areas/features. Why stop with that one area/column, when there is so much space available.

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